Happy Holidays!

Things are well with us! Busy as always with work and kids.

Emarie is doing dance again this year, combo with ballet, tap and tumbling. She loves it and has actually gotten very good! She is in pre-k 4 days a week and can't wait to start kindergarten. She got to spend half a day with me at school and we hung out with my kindergartners that day. She fit right in and loved every minute. (If only she could just go to my school next year. :( ) We are looking into some full day options for kindergarten. She's ready and I don't want her to have to be juggled between places during the day. She won't be able to go to our 'Glo-Glo's' anymore since we live in a different district and transportation will be an issue.

Preston turned 2 in November. He is all boy, very talkative, runs and climbs as much as he can. Preston is in We Joy Sing classes and they have really started to bring him out of his shell (he's shy around other people). He loves music, dancing and keeping the beat. He's always finding a spoon or something to use as a drumstick and sing along to one of his music class songs.

I hope your family is doing well and you have a wonderful holiday season! Enjoy the moments!

Our new caterpillar friend, 'Sammy'

My father in law found this caterpillar crawling across our yard yesterday. I caught it around 11 and by four he was busy making his cocoon.

I named him Sammy because he reminds me of the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland....and all I could picture was Sammy Davis Jr. as the caterpillar smoking a hookah.
Here is a video....he's blue but huge is the point. If you ever watched the 1985 version of Alice in Wonderland then you must watch this, it took me back.

After some internet research I think he is a Robin Moth Caterpillar or Cecropia Silkmoth, which is the largest moth in North America according to Wikipedia. Some guy had one and photographed it's life cycle....the thing stays in the cocoon for almost a year! He kept the cocoon in his crisper drawer in the fridge...I'm thinking garage beverage fridge instead. Very interesting though here is the link... http://www.wormspit.com/cecropia.htm
However, when I caught him I never imagined he would be this big of a time investment. He has his cocoon so stuck in the hermit crab cage that I don't have much of a choice now.

Here are some real pictures...

He is as big as two of my thumbs end to end!

Around 6:00 pm yesterday.
6:30 am today

Summer, summer time

So far so good. We've been busy going to COSI, the zoo, a wedding, two camping trips, and a weekend at Hide Away Hills. It's been a little too busy to get any jobs around the house done, but oh well.

Emarie has grown a few inches and about ten years in attitude. 4 going on 14. She's very helpful most of the time. Preston is talking and running ALL of the time. Keeping us very busy.

Here are some pictures.

Gearing up for CAMPING!

Our motorhome is a 1976 GMC :) She has required quite a bit of work to get her functional and safe, and now that she is we decided to give her a pampering. We are giving her a nice wash and wax by hand. A lot of elbow grease and a TON of wax is making a huge difference. Here are the before and after shots.

The untouched side...

Look at her shine! We haven't done the bottom yet. :)

Hoppy Easter! Happy Birthday Ryan!

Here are some Easter pictures...we took them over two days at parks in the area.

Emarie 4 1/2, Preston 16mos

Ryan Lee turns 3!

We are sick of being sick!!

Oh, the joys of winter. It started with both kids getting the flu, and then terrible diaper rash; then my turn with flu, like little kid flu..so sick; next, Braden with a stomach bug; back to Preston with bronchilitis that ended up in the ER and overnight at Childrens; now, back at me, home with strept throat!

The fun of giving as 16 mos old a breathing treatment.

YIKES! I'm running out of sick days!!

On a more positive note, Braden and I traveled to Denver to see my girlfriends Laura and Katy! Oh, how I missed them! Nothing like sitting, relaxing and laughing with good friends!

This weekend we celebrated our friends the triplets 5th birthday! So fun! They had their party at Rule 3 playing mini bowling! So fun, Preston even could do it. Enjoy the pictures.

What, it's February!

I haven't posted anything in forever!!! Ooops, I guess Facebook has taken my time.

What's new...currently I'm enjoying a lovely snow day at home. We've been making our valentines for Emarie's friends at school today. I love being able to be home. I don't know if I could give up work all together but part time would be IDEAL!

Emarie is such a sweet, thoughtful little girl. She loves whole heartedly and thinks about family all of the time. The other day Ryan, Nate and Abby spent the night. They had to leave very early in the morning to take Nate to the airport. So, when Em woke up at 7 they were long gone...she immediately burst into tears and said, "but who will feed them breakfast?". Sunday, Mom and 'Jones' came to visit and a few hours prior to their arrival Emarie came running downstairs (from playing polly pockets in her room) and insisted Nana was here because she smelled her and 'I know what she smells like'. She's hilarious.

Preston is walking and talking and figuring everything out daily. He is very silly, I'll think he'll be the class clown. Right now we are constantly making sure chairs are pushed in so he isn't on top of everything. :) He does things in his own time and when he does it he does it... walking, crawled and cruised forever and then just started walking everywhere no real in between. Talking, wouldn't make many sounds at all, then this past week he'll say 'no thank you', 'silly', 'sissy', 'doggy', 'cat', 'up', 'down', 'in', 'more', and so on!

So we learn new things together every day!

Here are a few pictures! Enjoy the ones you love on this Valentine's Day!

Emarie and her Valentines, thanks Family Fun magazine. :)

Our little comedian. :) He'll wear anything Emarie puts on him and thinks is funny,

especially glasses.

Huh? You talking about me?

SNOW DAY!